LIFE WITH THE TROTTEES. 95 



liis mind that these figures reiDresented the acme of trotting 

 speed. As I stated before, there was no pool-selling at these 

 exhibitions by Maid and Rarus ; but, in some way or other, 

 Andy Daniels fell foul of the ranchman an hour or two j)re- 

 ceding the race, and the Californian at once stated his 

 opinion of our combination, finally winding up by offering 

 to bet a large sum of money that there was not a horse in 

 the outfit that could beat 2:17 over that track. Daniels 

 came to see me for a diagnosis of the case, and after he had 

 stated the conversation I advised him to go back and bet 

 the stranger a reasonable amount that 2:17 would be beaten. 

 With his usual enthusiasm in such matters, Andy hunted 

 up his man at once, and before he had left him had bet him 

 all the money he had and given his assurance that enough 

 more would be forthcoming to satisfy all the cattle-raisers 

 in that section of the country. Doble came on from Los 

 Angeles on the morning of the race, and I told him about 

 the money«that Daniels had bet on 2:17 being beaten. Budcl 

 was not very sanguine about the matter, but we went out 

 to trot with the intention of doing all that we could to win 

 the money for Daniels and ourselves. In the first heat the 

 Maid went about as well as she could, Doble driving her 

 almost all of the way ; but she seemed tied up, and not ex- 

 actly at herself, the result being that she finished the mile 

 in 2:19|^ and was pretty well strung out. Doble said to me 

 it was not x^ossible for her to beat 2:17 that day. I thought 

 the matter over and then rex^lied to Budd, 'Til give you 

 one more chance to get the money, and then if you don't do 

 it, I shall have to see how my old horse can go." When we 

 started for the second heat the Maid went away faster than 

 before, and struck the half-mile pole in just 1:07|^, beating 

 Rarus to that point five or six lengths. From there he 

 closed on her gradually until they turned into the stretch, 

 when he was on her wheel. She made one break ; but, to 

 say the least, it was not a bad one, and she came to the 

 stand on a trot at 2:14^, beating Rarus the heat. When 

 they hung out the time on the board, the cattlemen took a 



